The villain: Guy Christiansen, a corporate-style drug dealer
and Sasha’s former lover

The premise: Sterling
enlists the help of Sasha to help him rescue his young sister from the web of
Guy Christiansen, a powerful drug dealer who wants Sasha back

Dooley: So those are the important details. Let’s get to
work. Heather - what did you like about Caught in Amber?

Massey: General elements I liked: First, the characters. I
rarely encounter drug addict heroines in science fiction romance—actually, this
might be the first time—so Sasha’s character is inspired. Having worked in
mental health I was keen to see this kind of character explored in an SFR. Her
addiction issues are very much a part of the story and amber is a chilling type
of drug.

I thought Sterling,
as a government agent, was a fun spin on lawmen. The Colonial Mining Authority
institution gave him a unique flavor. He’s earnest and grim but not completely
humorless.

Second, CAUGHT IN AMBER is a character-driven romance, but
it also has suspense elements given Sterling
and Sasha’s mission. The stakes were definitely high.

What were some of the standout aspects for you?

Dooley: I loved the high-stakes conflict. An honorable man
must do a dishonorable thing for honorable reasons to a dishonorable woman who
is trying to be honorable. LOL. Does that sentence even make sense? What I mean
is that I loved the conflict and the tension. I found myself quite anxious at
times as I read, worrying about the characters and the moral grey areas they
were leaping into.

I loved that the author was willing to portray drug
addiction in such a gritty way. She didn't pull any punches with showing
exactly what kind of things Sasha had done under the influence and how far she
had been willing to go to get the drug she needed.

I liked the setting. I've been here before and I'm familiar
with it. Doesn't seem too different from Earth, though, does it? I think the
world building kind of plays it safe.

Massey: I had a different response. I thought the
worldbuilding was spot on—Nevarro, being far from its sun, had a plausible
reason for being a cold, fairly inhospitable mining world. It’s not meant to be
a larger-than-life space opera setting. The descriptions of the frigid weather
were effective. I particularly liked this passage:

When the ground taxi pulled up to the curb, Sterling
opened the rear door for her. Sasha slid across the crackling plastic seat,
grateful for the warmth inside, even if it stank of damp feet. (page 37)

That kind of passage really brought it home for me what it’d
be like to be stuck on such a desolate world. Stinky feet for the win, LOL! Nevarro
made me want to read more stories set in non-flashy futuristic settings.

What other reactions did you have to the story?

Dooley: I think the author could have gone a little further
with Sasha being back in the world of crime and drugs. Despite the implant that
gentled her need to use amber, I think there would/could have been more of a
struggle on Sasha's part. There was one scene where Sasha is staring at a big
ole lump of amber. I knew she wasn’t going to use it, but I wanted there to be
a much more terrible and painful battle going on inside of her. But, you know –
me? No matter how gritty things get, I always want more. Greedy that way
*grin*.

One other thing: the plan was for Sasha to get Sterling
access to Christiansen - and then she was going to be cut loose. Once that plan
fell through there really wasn't a firm Plan B in place. They seemed to be
playing it very casually, whereas I thought Sterling
would have insisted on a game plan. He wouldn't want to leave his sister's life
to chance, would he? And he was regularly berating himself for the danger he
was putting Sasha in. I was surprised that he was willing to continue with just
a vague plan in place.

Massey: Yes, especially given the level of security that
Christiansen has throughout his lair. Despite the appeal of the premise, once I
got into the story I found it a little hard to believe the undercover plan to
get Kylie out. Sterling was on an
unauthorized, personal rescue mission, so he lacked his usual resources (which
added nicely to the tension), but something about it puzzled me. Maybe it was
because I thought Christiansen seemed too gullible (or maybe there wasn’t
enough explanation regarding how Sterling was able to pull off such a snow
job).

Dooley: Christiansen does seem to believe Sasha and Sterling's
story too easily. Someone as successful a drug kingpin as he would surely be
more suspicious?In my mind I was adding
little clues that he just so wanted to believe Sasha was coming back to him,
that he let his heart rule his head.

Massey: I did that, too. What did you think of Christiansen
as the villain?

Dooley: I liked that the author didn't make him a totally
evil villain. I did believe he had loved Sasha, and that loved her still. The
author did a great, but subtle job of showing that. Christiansen's a scumbag, of course. But I
like my scumbags to have a little humanity in them. *grin*

There’s a scene where Sasha is berating Christiansen for his
awful treatment of her when they were involved previously. I thought it was a
nice little touch that the truth of the matter was that Christiansen had been
trying to get her to rein in her drug use, and Sasha had been so caught up in amber
use that she never even realized it. More moral ambiguity. I love it!

Massey: I appreciated those elements, too. Ms. Pegau used
many sensory, visceral details to convey Sasha’s reaction to Christensen and
those more than anything drew a picture of his true nature. He’s a villain bent
on world domination of a different kind.

That’s where some of the social commentary comes in, and I
liked that the story prompted me to reflect on the role of illegal drugs in a
futuristic society because most likely it’s an issue our descendants will have
to deal with.

Dooley: Yes, I liked the many wonderful little details
throughout the story. Pegau’s got a nice writing style; I always find myself
engrossed. I also enjoyed the fuller secondary characters. The henchman, the
friend, the personal assistant, the co-worker, even the drugged-up hangers-on
were all given a nice level of attention and added to the story.

Massey: Genevieve Cain, Christiansen’s right hand woman, was
a particularly potent character. If the author wanted to spin off a book for
her, I could certainly go for that. No pressure or anything. LOL!

Hit me up with your final thoughts about CAUGHT IN AMBER.

Dooley: I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters and
the delicious moral dilemmas I was presented with. The straight-shooter lawman
using a vulnerable woman for his own ends, a drug addict who finds herself
committing acts of heroism, a stone-cold villain with a bad case of unrequited
love: they all seemed so very real and honestly depicted.

I personally would have like a bit more vivid world-building
and for a couple of the plot points to be grittier. All-in-all: highly
recommended to readers who enjoy character-based SFR, non-stereotypical
character types, suspense elements and a romance that never seems easy or
inevitable. You know what? I’m gonna take a stand here. This may not be a
perfect book, but it’s my favorite SFR read of the past year.

Massey: CAUGHT IN AMBER represents science fiction romance
extremely well. The futuristic elements and setting are accessible, which makes it easy for readers to relate to them. The characters are flawed but likeable and earnest. The story
features a familiar romance but it also takes risks, particularly with Sasha’s
addiction challenges.

I was excited to discover that the story contains layers of
meaning beyond the plot. The themes are delivered in a thoughtful, yet
entertaining fashion. CAUGHT IN AMBER is the type of sci-fi romance that will
stick with you long after the Happily Ever After.

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About Me: Heather travels the sea of stars for news about science fiction romance. She's also an author in the genre. To get in touch, you can email her, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

About Me

Heather’s debut sci-fi romance novel, Once Upon a Time in Space, features the last living descendant of Christopher Columbus on a desperate quest to find a new world. Standing in his way is Raquel, the deadliest space pirate in the galaxy.